Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone: The Science of Hormones, Sexual Function, and Menopause

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. Tami Rowen, an obstetrician, gynecologist, and leading gynecologic surgeon at the University of California San Francisco, and an internationally recognized expert in sexual health and sexual medicine. Together they get precise about some of the most misunderstood terrain in women's health: estrogen, progesterone, progestins, and testosterone for women, what they actually do in the body, how the confusion around them began, and what becomes possible for women when care is evidence-based and not fear-based. Dr. Rowen opens with something most women have never been told: that contraceptive estrogen and menopausal estrogen are fundamentally different molecules with different goals, different mechanisms, and different effects on the body. She walks through why ethinyl estradiol, the synthetic estrogen in most birth control pills, binds to the estrogen receptor 300 times more strongly than natural estradiol, why that matters for everything from blood clotting to testosterone levels to bone density, and why modern contraception is still valuable and worth defending even as we get more precise about how it works. Guest links: * Dr. Tami Rowen (UCSF Health) https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/tami-rowen * Dr. Tami Rowen (ISSWSH) https://www.isswsh.org/component/content/article/299-tami-rowen-md-ms?catid=99&Itemid=469 * Dr. Tami Rowen (Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/drtamirowen/ Recommended Books: * “The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://thepauselife.com/pages/the-new-perimenopause-book * “The New Menopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://www.amazon.com/New-Menopause-Mary-Claire-Haver/dp/1785045547 For full show notes, please visit: https://bit.ly/unPAUSEDTamiRowen 00:00:00 – The Truth About Testosterone & Menopause (Big Myths) 00:04:00 – Hormone 101: Estrogen, Progesterone & Testosterone Explained 00:10:00 – Birth Control vs Hormone Therapy (Why They’re NOT the Same) 00:16:00 – Synthetic Estrogen: Why It Works (and Its Side Effects) 00:23:00 – Progesterone vs Progestins: What Doctors Don’t Explain 00:30:00 – How Hormones Affect Your Brain, Gut, Mood & Libido 00:38:00 – Why Birth Control Feels Different for Every Woman 00:46:00 – Hormone Risks: Breast Cancer, Clots & What’s Actually True 00:55:00 – Testosterone for Women: What It REALLY Improves 01:05:00 – Brain Fog, Mood & the Placebo Effect Explained 01:15:00 – How to Take Testosterone Safely (Dosing, Gels, Creams) 01:25:00 – Pellets, High Doses & the Future of Hormone Therapy Never miss an episode—sign up for The ’Pause Life Newsletter: https://thepauselife.com/pages/newsletter Medical Disclaimer: The information, including opinions and recommendations, on this platform is meant for informational and educational purposes only. Mary Claire Media, LLC, the unPAUSED podcast, and The ’Pause Life are not medical organizations. Medical advice or medical diagnosis cannot be provided to you through the platform, any associated website, or customer portals. Using this platform does not establish a patient-physician relationship.